Gold Cup winner qualifies for HOYS
Native River (pictured, top), who won the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has earned a showing ticket to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) with rider Emma Vine. The pair bagged their spot by finishing second in the SEIB Search for a Star riding horse qualifier at Stoneleigh on Monday (27 May). “I cried. I can’t believe it, and especially to qualify in a riding horse class and not a racehorse class!” Emma told H&H. “I went into that class to give him the feel of the ring before the retrained racehorse class (in which they placed 5th), and it couldn’t have gone any better. He went beautifully, the ride judge didn’t want to get off him. She said to me, ‘Whatever you’re doing, just keep doing it’ – and the conformation judge said he is just a beautiful model.”
Find out more about Native River’s life after racing
Overloaded horseboxes
As the summer competition season gets into full swing, experts have warned owners not to risk safety or a criminal conviction by overloading horseboxes. Kevin Parker, of Kevin Parker Horseboxes, said he has been trying to get the message to horse owners about the importance of payload to horse owners for years, but he told H&H that “most customers don’t know anything about it”. He added: “Unlike buying a car, where weight is never mentioned, payload is an integral aspect of horsebox ownership. For many customers, staying safe and legal means learning a whole new subject.”
Top campaigner retires
Isabell Werth’s great grand prix campaigner Emilio 107 bowed out from competition on his 58th top-level international victory. The 18-year-old headed the grand prix at Wiesbaden CDI4* (18 to 19 May) on 75.07%, before topping the freestyle with a score of 83.3%. Isabell said she was “very proud” of Emilio following their final performance at Wiesbaden. “He deserves to say goodbye in front of such a great setting,” she said.
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